Aloha Oe

A song of farewell written in 1878 by Hawaii's last monarch, Queen Liliuokalani. She is said to have been inspired by watching two lovers in Oahu, Colonel James Boyd of the queen's entourage and a girl from Maunawili, having to leave one another and saying their goodbyes in the moonlight. (This probably accounts for the English words in the Hawaiian-language version.)

This was probably the first Hawaiian song to become well-known outside the Hawaiian Islands and has been recorded by many artists.